The Broken Jailbird
by Meriarijim
Summary: AU, KakaIru, SasuNaru After breaking free from the prison that held him, a thief finds himself stuck out in the middle of nowhere with a pissy elite guard, a town outcast, and a wanted man. But getting out of Hazelwood is much easier said than done...
1. Ch 1 Pink Cloud Assembly

Title: The Broken Jail Bird  
Author: Mako  
Email: Shastafuji AT mindspring . com  
Talk to me if you want it anywhere  
Pairing: KakaIru, SasuNaru  
Genre: Crazy AU XD Romance...strangeness oO;  
  
WARNINGS: Yaoi. Yeehaw. Don't know what yaoi is, then I suggest you leave :3 Also, beware for a bit of OOC-ness n.n;; please forgive ;  
  
Comments: Yay for first KakaIru fanfiction. Hell, it's the first Naruto fanfiction I've ever written =P But oh well, there's a first time for everything, right? Wish me luck XD Heh, it's been a while since I last posted anything on XD ever since they took down the JRock section it's gotten kind of quiet 'round here for me XD woosha. Lets see if I can remember how to work this place XD  
  
Dedicated to: my bud Carolyn, who got me into Naruto and KakaIru in the first place XD and Lohe, who also got me into Naruto =3 Hope ya all like n.n;  
  
Disclaimer: Naruto does not belong to me but to Masashi Kishimoto, the wonder that he is XD And though Naruto doesn't belong to me, the happenings in this fic do belong to me :P meaning the plot and Hazelwood are mine :P  
  
Remember that this is an AU. These are the same people you know and love, but they are set in a different world, with different twists on their abilities and characteristics =3 Let's say it's set in something like the wilderness of Western America, kind of mixed together with a bit of the Scottish Highlands or something oO;; Imagination. That's what you all need.  
  
' ' = thoughts, " " = speech (obviously)  
  
And now.... On with the fic. Please do enjoy  
  
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_"Under that endless sky,  
What you called freedom will stay in the cage..."  
_- "Pink Cloud Assembly" by hide with Spread Beaver  
----------------------  
  
The forest was eerily quiet as the silver-haired man snuck into them. Behind him, a squad of police guards pounded on, struggling to keep up with his fast pace. Quickly ducking silently behind one of the many giant trees in the forest, Kakashi was able to loose another squad to the gently swaying giants.  
  
A harsh grin spread across his face. Not that anyone would be able to see it, do to the fact that he had been given the luxury of privacy while in the state prison to keep his lower face hidden from the sun, as he had been doing since he was about thirteen years of age. His prison mates had all hazard guesses as to why he wore it, ranging from vanity to ugly scars to fish-lips and horse-teeth to an old pimple the size of knuckle that just wouldn't go away. Kakashi truthfully couldn't remember why (or when, for that matter) he had started wearing it.  
  
At least it was black, compared to the rest of his striped jailbird uniform. So was the crooked blindfold that covered his left eye. When he was very young, he had been in an accident that included his best childhood buddy, a pair of stiletto heals, and the burning rivalry of youth. Needless to say, once the scar had healed, Kakashi's eye was never to be the same. Since then, his new and improved left eye had been extremely sensitive to light; hence he normally kept it covered. Well, except for when he was being the thieving bastard that he made his life job out to be. After the surgery to replace his left eye, the new, deep red, light-sensitive eye was surprisingly good for finding things hidden in the shadows. It totally didn't match with his other, deep dark blue right eye though, but what could ya do?  
  
'Heh, that little pepper got me out of enough fixes to be a thief itself,' he mused to silently himself as he ducked into the shadow of a giant bolder. Too bad the scar that ran across it was so recognizable.  
  
Before he had been sent to jail, Kakashi had been a well known thief, not once caught and said to be able to sneak through a room filled to the gills security systems set to every angle of the room with a bag of goods resting on his back easily with no one noticing a thing. Because of this, Kakashi was more or less filthy rich, but didn't let the information get out. His treasures were hidden in many different places across the forest covered globe, never to be seen by anyone unless he himself showed told them where the treasures were. And why would he do that?  
  
So how had he been caught? Kakashi growled low in his throat, remembering that oh-so fateful night when another thief - some slimy git who reminded him of a snake - had notified the authorities of the mastermind's where-abouts and plans. This had led to a chase down a damp, dark alley, a firefight, two officers put out of commission (because when Kakashi was cornered, he could become quiet nasty), and ultimately, Kakashi's capture. His future was bleakly staring at a life behind the barbed wire fence of a prison.  
  
At least that snake didn't get off scot-free either...Kakashi thought, grinning. His tell-thief had also been taken to jail after the authorities had checked up on his record. He had been found guilty of thievery, just like Kakashi and murder, unlike Kakashi and was quickly taken care of promptly by the severely pissed off Kakashi. That had gotten Kakashi into a bit more trouble with the tight ass guards, but what the hey! What did he care anymore? He already had a reserved cell for the rest of his life.  
  
"Well well well, if it isn't the ever troublesome Hatake Kakashi," a harsh voice jolted him out of his thoughts, startling him into slipping and falling into the shallows of the river he had been following. "Not so wonderous anymore, are you?" Kakashi narrowed his good eye at the elite prison guard, the only one who was ever able to sneak up on the ever-watchful Kakashi. His name was Sasuke, and he was the youngest son of the head of the prison. The boy, not much older than eighteen (going on eighty, Kakashi thought to himself snippily), had become one of the youngest guards at the state criminal institute when he had turned thirteen. Being the son of the head honcho of the prison and guards had not only sheltered the Uchiha from a normal childhood, but also made him one of the most feared and hated guards in the institute. Kakashi just saw him as a lost pest.  
  
"So now what?" Kakashi's voice was low as he felt a fish swim past his legs, "Aren't you supposed to be calling in the dogs to collect me, shadow-boy?"  
  
"Feh, they're already headed this wa-" a shot rang throughout the forest, startling the sleeping forest birds from their roosts and into the sky with a floury of wings. The youth fell straight into Kakashi, eyes wide with shock at the simple idea that it had been him to be shot, and not the scoundrel he was falling into.  
  
Kakashi found the gunman before he caught the falling Uchiha deftly in his arms. He could hear more pounding through the undergrowth, guns most likely drawn and ready to empty themselves on the two males sitting in the water. 'There must have been some sort of mistake,' Kakashi thought quickly, eyes widening as the gunman took aim once more. But instead of aiming for his target like he should have been (namely, Kakashi), the man had his gun pointed straight at the fallen youth. 'Or maybe it wasn't a mistake. Great. Well, lets get out of here.'  
  
Before the hunter could again shoot his gun, Kakashi was on his feet, unconscious boy under one arm, and running once more through the forest, aware that there were snipers in the trees. Shots sounded behind him, as bullets bounced off rocks and imbedded themselves in the harmless trees. The trees, bushes and boulders that had once been a place to hide, were now grabbing on to Kakashi's already torn uniform, hindering him as he tore through the forest, not caring about keeping quiet, just on getting away. Voices melted together with the gunshots, and Kakashi soon found himself running through the shallow water of the same river he had fallen into earlier. Getting to the deepest (and strongest) part in the river, Kakashi let the hold he had on the floor of the river go, and he and the unconscious teenager set sail, the howling and furious guards left behind, their bullets harmlessly falling too short of the fast paced duo.  
  
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The river was surprisingly fast, but remarkably calm, taking the two men deeper into the forest and past a tiny village. It was a tiring effort to keep two heads above water, though, especially when one of them was unconscious. Sasuke was pretty much dead weight in the thief's arms, and Kakashi had been tempted to just let the cold boy go numerous times. But each time his fingers started to let go of the youth's dark clothing, he stopped himself. He hated feeling guilty, and he knew, for a fact, that he would forever have the guilt of off-handedly killing the boy on his shoulders.  
  
So he didn't.  
  
For some reason, ever since he was a very young boy, he'd found it right hard to kill another without holding a guilty conscience. Steal, break, maul, beat within an inch of one's life, that didn't bother him in the least, but killing someone… taking someone's life against their own will just brushed him wrong. He had been forced to kill people in the past when he was just learning the art of robbery, and he had nearly killed a few of his prison mates, but he kept telling himself that those days were far behind him.  
  
The sun was just touching the horizon, rays of sunshine branching out across the morning sky, when the river's pull slowed, and Kakashi found himself floating into a large, shallow pool. At the other side the river continued to flow, keeping the water fresh and circulated. Figuring that it was a grand time as ever for the two to get off their little joy ride, Kakashi forcefully pushed his legs against the rocky bottom, and bobbed his way to the side, all the while keeping Sasuke's lolling head above water. He knew he would have hell to pay when the boy woke up, but decided that it was best to think of troubling things such as the Uchiha's fury LATER. He also knew that he had water in his boots and river plants festooned in his hair and in his clothes.  
  
Heaving his soaking body (as well as Sasuke's) under the large weeping willows that surrounded the pool, Kakashi carefully checked himself for any wounds. Finding nothing but a large gash on his left leg and random scratches and bruises from his ride down the river, he turned to Sasuke. At least the boy's shoulder had stopped bleeding, but it would need to be looked at sooner or later.  
  
'Damn, what now?' one side of his brain yelled, while the other peacefully pondered, 'Wonder how far we floated?'  
  
The soft sound of the river was sending his mind to dreamland, even though he repeatedly told it to stay awake, keep watch, don't wander. Wandering brain = bad news. They were in unknown territory, and he didn't know how far away the guards were. But it was no use. Leaning back against the closest tree and semi hidden within the scraggly roots, Kakashi slowly closed his eyes, hoping beyond hope that they wouldn't be found.  
  
Of course as soon as the thought crossed his mind, he heard the gentle sound of footsteps nearing, twigs snapping and the sound of footfalls in puddles. He tried to rouse his exhausted body as much as possible, before quickly finding something that could substitute for a weapon if needed. If need be, he could cause some bodily harm with the old narly stick he had found in the muddy underbrush. Through the thin bows of the willow, he spotted a figure nearing the pond.  
  
'Damnit. If they have any brains in their head, they're going to notice the struggling footprints in the mud...' Kakashi quickly cursed his lucky star for not the first time since the night began. And sure enough, the shadow of a person turned, facing directly at where Kakashi was sitting, hiding in the shadow of the willow. 'Damnit, damnit, damnit...'  
  
With his nerves on fire, Kakashi nearly bit his tongue off when a long wooden stick reached past the branches of the willow, and pulled them back, like a curtain. A shadowed face looked cautiously into the tiny haven, before taking a step closer and nearly treading on the still out cold Sasuke. "Helloooo?" a gentle, quiet voice called out, "Is someone there?"  
  
'Shit shit shit shit shit shit shit!' Pushing himself up as noiselessly as possible so that he was standing with his back braced against the willow, Kakashi readied himself to knock the intruder out cold with the old branch he had found. He wouldn't kill the other person, just... knock 'm unconscious. Anyone who was a threat to his newly gained freedom was to be taken care of quickly to secure his freedom.  
  
As the figure stepped closer, almost within distance of Kakashi's branch, the newly freed thief lunged at the intruder, bringing his weapon down upon their head.  
  
Or would have, if said intruder hadn't blocked the hit with their own weapon, throwing Kakashi off to the side of the glen. Bounding up (quite a bit slower than usual, due to his leg and exhaustion), Kakashi was able to hit the other person on the arm, forcing them back a few steps, before they ducked their head and rammed the silver-haired man forcefully back into the rocks with their shoulder.  
  
Kakashi could taste blood before he fell; landing hard against the moss covered rocks and roots. Damnit...His vision fading, Kakashi made a last effort to at least cause the other pain by jabbing them cruelly in the ankle with his now broken branch. He smiled bitterly as the other fell with a strangled cry, before his eyes fell closed and he plunged into a cold, dreamless sleep.  
  
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The sun shone brightly upon Kakashi's eyes, waking him up with a start. Sitting up with a jolt, Kakashi was nearly blinded by the morning sunlight that beamed its way cheerfully through the open windows of the tiny room that he was trapped in. Quickly closing his eyes, then trying to pry the right one open he found himself face to face with two bright, curious blue eyes.  
  
Backing quickly up against the headboard of the bed, Kakashi reached for anything that he could use as a weapon, and found none. About to force his body to attack, he stopped when the blue-eyed kid in front of him turned around and called out "Oi! Iruka-sensei! He's awake!"  
  
'Hmph. If he was my kid, I'd teach him to never turn your back on a stranger-!' Kakashi thought bitterly as he pushed the young blondie off his bed, ready to jump out the window and escape from this prison of a room. But the blonde one wasn't so easily taken care of with just a push, and with Kakashi's leg, along with quiet a few more places wounded, Kakashi just wasn't up to marks.  
  
The man nearly howled when the younger one, instead of falling off the bed, grabbed onto his wounded leg, holding onto him fiercely and refusing to let go. The boy was growling low within his throat, his sharp looking canines bared at the in-pain Kakashi, reminding the silver haired man very much of a stubborn fox. Nearly blinded by the pain of an open wound grabbed onto, Kakashi was about to bash the little blond boy across the head with his fist when a new figure rushed in.  
  
"What the hell is going on in here?! Naruto, let him go!" A new voice interrupted the two, and stopped Kakashi from attempting to bash the brains in on this so-called 'Naruto'. Kakashi turned to stare with his one good eye at the new arrival.  
  
"He started it! It's not my fault!" Naruto complained, growling at the silver haired thief who paid him little attention.  
  
The unfamiliar person was a just a little bit shorter than Kakashi, well built and rather tanned, with a head of dark hair that was kept in a high ponytail. With is arms crossed across his chest, the smaller man looked like one very pissed off mother hen. Probably was, too, Kakashi's mind grumbled. Across his nose ran a rough, old scar, light with age.  
  
Kakashi's one eye traveled down the other man's body - he guessed that this was the Iruka that Naruto had called for earlier- and took note of the patched up pants and the small knife tied to his waistband. He also took note of the bandaged ankle.  
  
Oh man...  
  
"So. You repay the ones who pulled you out from under a willow, take you away from the biting gnats and mosquitoes, and bandage you up by starting a fight? What do you have to say for yourself?" the one called Iruka had a tone in his voice that he hadn't heard since he was in school, years ago. Kakashi felt a chill roll down his back.  
  
"I-Iruka-sensei..." Naruto piped up, pulling on the older man's sleeve.  
  
"Not now, Naruto," Iruka kept his eyes leveled on the now weirded-out Kakashi, "Do you not have a single bone of gratitude in your body? From all of the scars, I can make the assumption that you have had numerous run-ins with the law and-"  
  
"Iruka-sensei," Naruto interrupted again, "You-you're using the Voice again…"  
  
Iruka's dark brown eyes flicked to where Naruto was, his face gaining an embarrassed look, "I-I was? Sorry Naruto." He smiled gently at the blond, his demeanor doing a complete one-eighty, and ruffled the youth's hair lazily. He turned his dark gaze back to the thief, pinning him in his spot on the bed, "So? Speak. Who are you? And why were you soaking wet underneath the willow? And with a wounded /child/ as well!"  
  
Kakashi narrowed his eye, glaring right back at the other man, "It's customary to introduce yourself first." 'Child? He must mean Sasuke. Well, at least they found him as well...damn, now I really will have to deal with the shadow-boy's wrath.'  
  
"My name is Iruka," the other man said, his voice gaining a pleasant, nearly gentle tone, much like the one he had used with the blonde kid, "And this is Naruto. You attacked me earlier this morning." Iruka grinned as he hobbled further into the room and settled down into an old stuffed chair next to the window.  
  
"Kakashi. The name is Kakashi. Where am I?" the silver haired one was pleased to find that his cloth mask was still on as his lips brushed against the smooth fabric. Now if only he could find his blindfold....  
  
"We call this valley Hazelwood," Iruka smiled, watching the other man sitting on his bed. "There isn't a town in this valley - no one - just Naruto and I, some guy who lives with a murder of crows down the river, and now you and that other boy that we found. Who's he? And why were you two floating down the river? Or how did you get here?"  
  
"Kid's name is Sasuke."  
  
"Okay," Iruka turned to the blonde boy sitting close to him, "Hey Naruto, why don't you go see how Sasuke is doing, alright?" Naruto grinned, and bounded to do as told.  
  
"It's unusual for us to get visitors even in the good years, so it strikes me as peculiar to find two people hiding under a weeping willow. Bleeding and hurt ones, at that."  
  
"Hmmm. Yes, well... would truly love to stay and talk about it but…" Kakashi moved to put his legs over the side of the bed, when he realized that he was stark naked. The shock evident on his face, he shot a glare at the positively beaming Iruka, "Where are my clothes?" his voice was cold and level.  
  
"Well, you see..." Iruka had the decency to at least look embarrassed and shyly looked away from the naked glory that is Kakashi, "You were soaking wet and would have caught a fever or something worse if you had stayed in those clothes so I..." He made a motion to Kakashi and the bed, 'I also wanted to keep you there, Mr. Mystery,' Iruka added to himself.  
  
"Stripped my naked." Kakashi finished, pulling the blanket closer to him.  
  
"Pretty much. Your clothes are in the other room right now, drying. Plus, it's going to rain soon," Iruka smiled.  
  
Kakashi glanced out the window at the cheerfully blinding sunlight that filtered through the trees, "You don't say."  
  
"Yep. Mackerel sky, it's going to rain," Iruka's grin grew as Kakashi looked back out the window, noticing that the clouds were, indeed, scattered like a flock of little white sheep out to graze. Or the scales of a fish. The mackerel sky.  
  
"That's strange outfit you have, too," Iruka brought the silver-haired thief's attention back to him, "Almost like a uniform from a prison. Ripped and torn, like a broken jailbird."  
  
"Well, you sure do have a good head on your shoulders," Kakashi snorted, running a hand through his silver hair. This wasn't going to go well.  
  
To his surprise, the other man just kept smiling, "A freed jailbird, cooped up in a little shack in the middle of old Hazelwood valley with a town outcast and hunted down teacher. How simply... grand."  
  
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To Be continued  
  
Aha. Comments? Reviews? Criticism? n.n;;  
  
Also, please don't expect the next chapter extremely soon n.n;; i'm positively terrible with multi-chapters, so please be patient with me and my dottering :P also have college comin' up in late august, and i have to pack. Or something -.-; But I shall try my damned hardest to get it out sooner than later n.n heh, not very hopeful sounding, is it XD;;  
  
thank you in advanced n.n;  
reviews, critisism/comments are loved very muchly :3  
-Mako


	2. Ch 2 Everglow

Title: The Broken Jail Bird (Chapter 2)  
Author: Mako  
Email: Shastafuji AT mindspring . com  
Talk to me if you want it anywhere  
Pairing: KakaIru, SasuNaru  
Genre: Crazy AU XD Romance...strangeness oO;  
  
WARNINGS: Yaoi. Yeehaw. Don't know what yaoi is, then I suggest you leave :3 Also, beware for a bit of OOC-ness n.n;; please forgive n.n;  
  
Comments: Oh this'll be interesting :P  
  
Dedicated to: my bud Carolyn, who got me into Naruto and KakaIru in the first place XD and Lohe, who also got me into Naruto =3 Hope ya all like n.n;  
  
Disclaimer: Naruto does not belong to me but to Masashi Kishimoto, the wonder that he is XD And though Naruto doesn't belong to me, the happenings in this fic do belong to me :P meaning the plot and Hazelwood are mine, so back off XD  
  
Special thanks goes to Pastles, who helped me edit this fic :3  
  
Remember that this is an AU. These are the same people you know and love, but they are set in a different world, with different twists on their abilities and characteristics =3 Let's say it's set in something like the wilderness of Western America, kind of mixed together with a bit of the Scottish Highlands or something oO;; Imagination. That's what you all need. There's also not really a time setting for it n.n;;;; yes, there are striped jail uniforms, and snipers, in the same story. Deal with it :P  
  
' ' = thoughts, " " = speech (obviously)  
  
And now.... On with the fic. Please do enjoy. (Here's hoping that the first chapter wasn't just beginner's luck…xD)  
  
Chapter finished: 8/1/04, posted on 8/7/04  
  
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_"And whisper broken symphonies  
As I feel my heart exploding gently in me..."  
_- "Everglow", by FAKE?  
----------------------  
  
The sunlight was warm upon his pale, chilled skin, the air soft. All around him, the birds sang quite loudly, making the air seem thick with noise. The sweet smell of flowers filled his nose, as well as a hint of something lightly charred. Sasuke groaned, and rolled to his side. The burnt smell was still there, strangely mixed together with the pleasant smell of jasmine and honeysuckle. A sharp pain shot up his shoulder as he turned onto his side, jolting the raven-haired boy into the land of wakefulness.  
  
"Hello!"  
  
Sasuke's heart nearly jumped out of his mouth at the loud, happy sounding voice. Such did it make him jump up in bed, back braced (very much like Kakashi was earlier) against the headboard of the old bed he was resting in.  
  
Every nerve in his body was on fire, ready to strike, as he looked for the intruder on his peaceful slumber. Quickly noting that he was in a dusty, sun-filled old wooden room, Sasuke found the source of his wakeful-bane. And it was grinning in quite an intimidating way.  
  
"So Sleeping Beauty's woken up!" the loud, happy voice resounded through the room, vexing the already irritated ebony haired boy. He shot an ice-filled glare straight at the other boy, still on edge in the unknown surroundings. One could never be too ready for an attack in a foreign place.  
  
"Who the hell are you?" he growled out, feeling his wounded shoulder carefully, eyes not leaving the other. The figure in front of him looked about his age, with bright, sun kissed blond hair and a pair of most vividly blue blinkers Sasuke had ever rested his eyes upon. On each side of the boy's face were three whisker-like scars, and from the smile Sasuke noticed the two longer-than-usual canines. Sasuke realized that the smell of something burnt and the slight smell of flowers was coming from this boy. This boy, Sasuke deducted, was the total polar opposite of him. Great.  
  
"Idiot, I'm the wondrous Naruto. You're Sasuke, right?" the blonde's grin grew, trying to be nice and friendly with the stranger into his house. Really, he didn't care about the quiet pretty boy that was resting in /his/ bed, but if he didn't at least /try/ to be nice to the stranger, Iruka-sensei would get pissed at him.  
  
"...yeah. Where am I?" Sasuke frowned, glancing warily around the room, before fixing Naruto with a chilled glare. He recognized the happily oblivious face before him from the criminal records back at home. The thought struck him that he could possibly bring this miscretin back with him, back home to where the boy would be thrown back into jail, "Never mind. I don't want to know."  
  
Naruto quirked an eyebrow at Sasuke's change of mind, then shrugged. "Whatever. How'd you get shot?"  
  
Sasuke looked down at his shoulder as if just remembering that it was wounded. The neatly done bandages were slowly melding together with the open wound, and Sasuke knew that that would hurt when it was taken off. He wasn't looking forward to it.  
  
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Not many things could shock Kakashi, not since his best childhood friend had started wearing blindingly green, skin-tight bodysuits. That friend had turned into a world-class, though distinctly /weird/, thief with him. But when the young man sitting peacefully in front of him, with an expression that gave the impersonation that he didn't have a care in the world except finding out the exact amount of sugar to put into cookies to give out as gifts to the little kids down the street, said he was a /wanted/ man, Kakashi wasn't just shocked, he was also rather confused.  
  
"What's the matter?" Iruka asked, noticing Kakashi's surprise, as he leaned forward to rest his elbows on his knees, his chin resting in his hands.  
  
"'Wanted'? You?" Kakashi sputtered, staring at Iruka. Somehow, that seemed wrong.  
  
Iruka huffed, "What, don't look 'bad ass' enough for you?" Kakashi quirked an eyebrow, "You really want to know?"  
  
The thief nodded, feeling a small scratch on his shoulder gently with his fingers.  
  
"If you keep touching that, it's going to get infected," Iruka's voice was low, cold, and Kakashi quickly put his hand down. Iruka smiled again, "Well, there's a huge village outside of Hazelwood, across one very turbulent river, called Ditura."  
  
"'Ditura'? Never heard of that place..." Kakashi was even more confused. He'd been around the world and prided himself in knowing of all the different cities and countries. 'Ditura' had never popped up.  
  
Iruka smiled again, "You probably haven't heard of it. It's normally just called Fox Glove."  
  
Ah yes, Fox Glove. Kakashi remembered quite well the first time he had ever wandered/robbed that city and how strange of a name he had thought it. He had never heard of it being called a town, though, "Why do you call it 'Ditura'?"  
  
"That's the name I was taught to call it. That's where Naruto came from. You've heard of a place called Peyote (1), right?" Kakashi nodded, curiosity piqued.  
  
Iruka cast a glance from Kakashi, to the bed he was resting on, then back to his hands, and very quietly asked "Would you mind if I sat next to you on the bed? It's much comfier than this chair..."  
  
Kakashi blinked and moved over, careful to keep his dirty bits covered up with the blankets. Iruka's smile grew, making Kakashi feel like he had just answered a question right and was getting his reward. The silver haired thief soon found the smiling man sitting next to him, back up against the headboard and about a foot between them on the not-so-small bed. Iruka grinned, sitting happily on top of the sheets, before his smile fell and he continued his story.  
  
"I came from a very small, peaceful village called Murtlewood -ever heard of it?" Kakashi nodded. Murtlewood was known for its beauty and peacefulness. It was a joyful town, full of happy, fun loving people and quite a few very nice bars. That town had filled up Kakashi's stomach when he had stumbled upon it one very cold winter night.  
  
"In Murtlewood, I was one of the two teachers there. Simple job, wasn't paid much, but I had a place to sleep at night, food to eat, and friends as well as the responsibility of taking care of the young ones. My childhood is a blurry mess... becoming a teacher was the best thing that ever happened to me, or so I can remember."  
  
Kakashi nodded again, realizing that this was probably why the peaceful man next to him seemed to have schizophrenia at times. 'He must have been a very strict teacher when he lived there...'  
  
"One day, a stranger came from the north to our tiny village. He was a strange fellow, dressed in black from head to toe, and with him came a slave. He said that he'd found the boy in an alleyway, rooting through garbage cans like a common stray. Shortly after they arrived, people started disappearing. The leader of little Murtlewood had the two taken into custody, where we found that they were from Ditu-" a loud crash interrupted Iruka, making the two of them jump, "What was that?"  
  
"Sounded like it came from next door," Kakashi said, rather peeved that the story-time had been interrupted, "Sasuke must have woken up."  
  
"Here, put these on," Iruka ordered, handing Kakashi a pair of pants that he had sneakily been hiding under the bed. Kakashi stared at them, glancing up at the tricky teacher, before doing as told and following the hobbling Iruka.  
  
Outside of his room was a short hallway leading to a small living room/dining room/kitchen get-together, the other way leading to two other rooms, one of which was their destination. He did not know what the other room was, but Kakashi could take a guess that it might be a bathroom. If they had a bathroom… He also figured that they were on the ground floor, as there weren't any stairways to be spotted within the house. Hand on the old wall to keep his balance, Kakashi was led into a room very much like the one he'd woken up in, except that the sheets and blankets had been messed, and the boy who was supposed to be asleep in the bed was missing.  
  
"Naruto, what happened?" Kakashi realized that the blonde fiend from earlier was there as well, hands braced on the windowsill, looking ready to leap through. Iruka sent Naruto a look that easily said: "I know you could have kept him here if you really wanted to. Bad puppy."  
  
Upon hearing Iruka's voice, Naruto turned, looking frantic, "That bastard jumped ship! Flew the coop! He's gone!"  
  
Kakashi leaned against the doorjamb, Iruka on the other side of the doorway, "That idiot Sasuke. He probably thought he could get back home and lead the police down on this little hole. Probably thought he would be accepted back, or something."  
  
"The police?" Iruka parroted, eyes wide.  
"But the bastard is hurt! How can he get anywhere?" Naruto asked, turning back to the window and looking out through the darkening forest.  
  
"He's crafty enough, and stubborn enough, to find a way back to the institute," Kakashi sighed, pushing himself off the wall and towards the window where Naruto was standing, "Do you know which way he went?"  
  
Naruto stared quizzically up at the older man, disbelieving that he could do anything to find the raven-haired boy, before pointing down a small trail to the left. Kakashi nodded, before quickly jumping through the window and landing in the soft grass on the other side.  
  
Iruka and Naruto gasped, "You idiot, get back in here! You're hurt and in no shape to be chasing a shadow through a very shadow-y forest!"  
  
Kakashi grinned, "Don't you worry. I'm good at finding shadows. I'll find him and bring him back before he brings the hounds down around your ears. That's what you're worried about, right?"  
  
Iruka nodded slowly, still looking troubled.  
  
"I'll be back soon. Plus, didn't you say that it was going to rain soon? If we wait any longer, the tracks will be washed away," Kakashi teased. Iruka's cheeks dusted with embarrassment, and he all but glowered at the silver-haired thief. Naruto looked up at the clouds, then down at the smiling man, "You better hurry up then! The rain clouds are coming already!"  
  
"Uh huh. Whatever you say," Kakashi snickered, before turning down the path and leaving the two behind. Truth be told, it felt good to be on his feet again, especially when he was tracking someone. He hadn't had to follow someone in such a very long time... He picked up speed, enjoying the feeling of the wind in his hair and on his masked face and was happy to find that his wounded leg wasn't too much of a trouble to him, surprisingly enough. He was also quite pleased to find that the Uchiha was still bad at covering his tracks.  
  
Sasuke hadn't been too hard to find, as the path had led Kakashi straight to the pool and willows, near the entrance to the river. Kakashi about laughed when he found the shadow boy trying to tie a few old pieces of wood together with the whip-like branches of the surrounding willow trees. When Sasuke looked up the river, trying to figure out which way was home, Kakashi did laugh, effectively startling the Uchiha.  
  
Sasuke turned, and glared, standing knee deep in the calm pool of water. Kakashi glared right back, before walking closer. Sasuke was half dressed, his chest bare and his shorts soaked from the river water. The dressing on his shoulder would need changing soon, unless wanted an infection and the possible loss of use of his arm.  
  
"What do you think you're going to do, Uchiha? Paddle up stream? In your shape?" Kakashi started, sitting down on a large boulder, "In case you can't tell, your home is upstream, and quite a long ways upstream at that. It would take you days, maybe even weeks in your condition, to paddle a little raft up the river back home. And then what? What would you do once you got home? If you ever /did/ get back home?"  
  
"Get the guards down here. Do you know who that little blonde boy is?" Sasuke said, challengingly, as he crossed his arms over his bare chest.  
  
Kakashi shook his head, not really caring. Sasuke continued, "Uzumaki! The Uzumaki, the one who killed every single person in that little hell hole Banyan for no reason what so ever! When he was questioned, he said that he didn't remember a thing."  
  
"He got out, didn't he? From the Institute. Just like me," Kakashi grinned, eye cold but rather amused at the turn of events, "What did you do, torture that information out of him?"  
  
"I didn't have anything to do with him," Sasuke snorted, "My father and brother were the ones who caught him sneaking around Peyote, and brought him in for questioning. Supposedly he looked about the age of five or so, but he escaped before they could start with the interview. Still don't know -"  
  
"-how, do ya?" Kakashi interrupted, visible eye dark, "Probably the same way I did. It's easy to make a shadow of yourself in a place full of shadows."  
  
Sasuke glared at Kakashi, his eyes full of well-kept rage, "I'm going home, and when I return, I won't be alone. I'll get everyone down here to flush out two wanted criminals, and I'm sure that the law wants that 'Iruka-sensei' for some illegal happening as well. Then things will go right back to the way they were before."  
  
"Did you forget who shot you, brat?" Kakashi was getting tired of this. His leg had also started to bleed again.  
  
Sasuke remained silent.  
  
"Your wonderful guards were the ones who opened fire on you when they should have been aiming for me. Remember that?" Sasuke narrowed his eyes at Kakashi. The thief continued, "I don't know what the hell is going on with your cheerful little family, and I don't really care, but you should know that if you go back, you will most likely be killed on the spot. Who knows, maybe they'll tell you that your father-dearest sent them to kill you before they empty their guns on you? Or maybe it was your brother?"  
  
Sasuke's gaze fell to the water, where fish were surely dying at the power of his glare.  
  
"So go on. Go home if you really want to. Now that I think of it, I'm not afraid to send you back anymore," Kakashi moved as if to be inspecting his nails, "You'll be dead before you can even tell them that we're down here."  
  
Sasuke moved to push his crudely made raft out into the current, when he faltered. There, sitting on the helm of the craft, were three large, pitch black crows, all staring their beady black eyes at him. Each bird was at least the height of Sasuke's knees, their beaks as long as his index finger, if not longer. The largest one, a tall rook, pecked idly at the branches keeping the wood together, while the other two cackled loudly. The pinion feathers on the tall rook's wings, while mostly black, also had a few random feathers of white throughout the darkness (2).  
  
A soft coughing came from behind them, startling Kakashi as well as Sasuke. Both turned, finding a darkly clad man standing there between the trees, a ways away from Kakashi. His dark brown hair fell limply around his ears, and he had a hand up against his mouth, coughing. Kakashi noted the sunken in eyes and the pale, drawn complexion of the other. He guessed that this was the guy who lived with the crows that Iruka had mentioned earlier, since supposedly no one else lived in the valley.  
  
The other blinked back at them, then looked at where Sasuke was standing half naked in the river, to the three crows, "If you stand there any longer, you're going to get sick."  
  
"Who the hell are you?"  
  
He coughed again, "Hayate," the dark one said, quietly, "And I don't care what you say, silver-head; I do not want this boy to go back to wherever he came from, even if there's the possibility he will be killed on the spot. He is a threat to my freedom here, as well as everyone else who lives in this valley."  
  
The three crows, on hearing their master's voice, ruffled their wings and moved to set themselves on the raven-haired boy in front of them, "Iruka and Naruto are my friends. I can't let you take them away from me."  
  
----------------------  
  
To be continued.  
  
----------------------  
  
Aheheh. Well, there's the second chapter. Lordy lordy. Now to work on the third chapter :P thank you all for commenting on the first chapter =3 I shall try hard to make this fic work...haven't written anything in a very long time XD;;;  
  
(1) Peyote = hallucinogenic desert plant that can kill you if you take too much of it. Native Americans used it for religious and spiritual practices, until the Imperialistic European Catholics banned it. Now sold on the streets as a recreational drug, though supposedly it is very hard to find /actual/, pure Peyote. A few different types of drugs can pass as Peyote.  
  
(2) I know, I know, crows and ravens are black black black. Pitch black and all that good so such. :P Well, even if you don't believe me, there are a few partially white crows out there. There's one in the murder that lives in my back yard. Mother thinks that it might be from either inbreeding or from scars… but we really don't know o.O;;…. So yes. White Crows do exist XD I'm also sure you really care XD  
  
sorry for makin' Sasuke rather... OOC, I guess o.o;; bleh bleh bleh. Also, about Hayate. Hell, I like the guy. And just so ya know, it's hellish to write someone who isn't really... in the series that much XD;;; forgive me if he is too very OOC ;  
also, forgive me if you dislike all of the town names n.n;; they are all types of plants, as you hopefully picked up. Ditura being another name for Fox Glove, Banyan being a giant type of tree, Murtlewood being a sort of tree as well, and Peyote being yet another type of plant. Ditura and Peyote are poisonous, though, while the other two aren't xD and hell, Hazelwood doesn't really exists, so it's kinda hard for it to be deadly XD yeah, this is me being a crazy plant-dork that i sometimes can be XDXD forgive n.n;  
  
C/C please  
-Mako 


	3. Ch 3 Wild Wild Angels

Title: The Broken Jail Bird (Chapter 3)  
Author: Mako  
Email:  
Talk to me if you want it anywhere  
Pairing: KakaIru, SasuNaru  
Genre: Crazy AU (Ahooooooooooooooooo XD howls) Romance :3

WARNINGS: Yaoi. Yeehaw. Don't know what yaoi is, then I suggest you leave :3 Also, beware for a bit of OOC-ness n.n;; ehe, forgive forgive n.n

Comments: This'll be interesting :P and damn, my back itches XD;;; fell asleep in the sun, the burn is gone, but now I'm left with an incredibly itchy back Xx;; snicker

(still) Dedicated to: my bud Carolyn, who got me into Naruto and KakaIru in the first place XD and Lohe, who also got me into Naruto =3 Hope ya all like n.n;

Special thanks goes to Pastles for again helping me with editing this fic :3

Disclaimer: Naruto does not belong to me but to Masashi Kishimoto, the wonder that he is XD And though Naruto doesn't belong to me, the happenings in this fic do belong to me :P meaning the plot and Hazelwood are mine, so back off XD

Just remember that this is an AU. The same people, different abilities, different setting. Yay. There really isn't a time setting for it, but if there had to be a specific time, I'd say it was the future. :3

' ' = thoughts, " " = speech (obviously)

On to the fic XD Please do enjoy. Please read the note at the bottom :P

Chapter finished: 8/15/04, posted on 8/22/03 (I get surgery tomorrow! Woo! XD;;)

n.n.n.n.n

_"So don't talk to me of wild wild angels,  
Wild wild angels on the skyways,  
Those wild wild angels on the highways of your life,  
'Cos it's people like you who never knew,  
What wild wild angels have to face."_

- "Wild, Wild Angels", by Smokie 

n.n.n.n.n 

"Do you think they'll come home soon?" Iruka mumbled, pacing the small bedroom with his hands clasped behind his back. Pulling out an ancient, battered pocket-watch, Iruka checked the time again, then put it back in his patched up pants pocket. He'd been doing this ever since the silver haired thief had vanished. Naruto was sitting on the windowsill, his legs thrown lazily over the side, watching both the teacher and the rapidly darkening forest. The silver haired thief and the shadow-like guard had been gone for a good couple hours, and Iruka was getting antsy.

"Do you think they'll come home at all?" Naruto asked, bored. He didn't like Iruka-sensei all pacing and worrying like he was currently. It gave him the heebie-jeebies.

Iruka sighed and stopped, placing his elbows on the windowsill, "I hope they will..." he propped his chin on his hands and looked out into the darkening forest. The clouds had come in since the disappearance of Kakashi and Sasuke, the smell of rain heavy on the air.

"Hey, isn't that one of Hayate's crows?"

n.n.n.n.n.n.n

Kakashi had taken a step back when the murder of crows descended on the Uchiha. Never had he seen so many crows in one place, and never had he ever seen crows attacking a human. The stubborn boy had fought them off as best as he could, but with a wounded shoulder and the sheer fact that they were birds of many sharp angles, Sasuke was quick to lose. A solid swipe from the left wing of the lead rook, the strange partially white crow, brought the still struggling Uchiha down onto the crude ship behind him, unconscious. Just when Kakashi expected the crows to finish the boy off, they took flight, returning to the trees from which they came.

A glance over at the quietly coughing Hayate gave Kakashi a clue of who had ordered /that/ move.

After that, it was just a little bit of quick maneuvering (to catch the now slowly drifting raft), a heave, and the three were on their way back to Iruka's humble little home, crows swooping and diving through the trees. Kakashi was amazed Iruka hadn't shown up already with all the ruckus the birds were making.

Sure, the boy on his back was unconscious, and soaking wet, but Kakashi thought of it as just another minor setback. He was alive, right? That would hopefully be good enough to please the teacher and that little blond kid. The crows, at least, hadn't beaten the boy too badly, surprisingly enough. Just a few more cuts and scratches, a few new bruises from a few very strong wings.

When the small shack appeared through the trees, Hayate, who had walked back with Kakashi and the unconscious Sasuke, said his farewells, and disappeared. The crows disappeared as well, a flurry of black wings, the dry smell of feathers, and the loud cries they were known for.

Iruka, upon spotting the two trudging through the undergrowth, found that jumping through the pane-less window was much easier than going to the one door, and was next to them in an instant. Naruto joined the three soon afterwards, helping Kakashi carry the once more dead weight Sasuke into the small house. The two disappeared into the second bedroom, leaving the thief in the rather displeased hands of the in-house teacher. Iruka was nearly in a tizzy by the time he pushed Kakashi into his bedroom and onto the bed; Kakashi tried to keep up with the teacher as best as he could.

/In any other situation, this might be kind of kinky, being pushed into a large fluffy bed by one very not harsh on the eyes man,/ Kakashi thought, amused, as Iruka fussed around him, /I bet some of the guys back home would try to start some sort of crazy affair right here if they were in this position. The question is, would this ball of fiery split personality let them?/ Kakashi grinned, pleased, for not the first time in his life, that he had a mask covering his lower face.

"What were you /thinking/, running out there?" Iruka growled, his voice low in what Naruto had called "The Voice" earlier. Kakashi wisely stayed silent. Iruka continued, "You're hurt, and I don't care how young and spriteful you are, you are also half dressed! It's nearly fall now, and the days are getting colder... you could have gotten yourself sick, and then where would you be?"

"Probably in the same place as I am now...?" Kakashi put in, helpfully. Truthfully, it rather tickled him pink that the teacher was so worried about him. Ever since he was a very small child, no one had worried about him quite like the man before him was. Or so he foolishly hoped the teacher was.

Iruka batted him on the head, not hard, but enough to show that he wasn't joking, "Well, you better get out of those pants again," Iruka's voice became gentler, softer, as his face grew rather red, "Because unless you want that wound on your leg to get infected and make me have to cut it off with some sharp sort of saw, I suggest letting me clean it again, and redress it," he paused, "Unless you can take care of it by yourself?"

Kakashi helpfully pulled the pants off, covering his groin with the sheets of the bed, yet keeping the wounded leg uncovered. He flung the pants, along with his shoes on the floor, close to the wall. He was happy to find that his bandanna was still resting by the pillow, right where he had left it. He tied it securely around his head once more as he waited for the teacher's return. Truthfully, he could easily clean a wound such as this -he'd had much worse before- but some sadistic part of his brain wanted the kind teacher to do it.

While Kakashi undressed, Iruka left to go check up on Sasuke and Naruto, as well as to go get what few medicines he had left in the house. He found Sasuke still out cold, and gently told the decidedly bored looking Naruto to get some rest. The blond boy had already taken it unto himself to bandage the shadowy boy's wounds, and had tucked him in again, as well. The teacher left when he saw Naruto climbing into the bed, next to the sleeping Uchiha. Grinning, Iruka returned to the thief. They'd have an interesting morning, those two.

Peeling the soaked bandages off Kakashi's bare leg made the thief give a small groan of pain. He had to run through the shallows of the river to catch Sasuke, leaving his pants wet and cold once more. And, since all that activity caused the wound to reopen, blood saturated the bandage as well as river water.

Iruka frowned, mopping up the blood. He didn't know how the man before him had received the wound, and a small part of him kept him from asking. Just like how he didn't want to ask about Sasuke and why he had been shot.

The gentle tapping of raindrops on the old tin roof broke the silence in the room. Both of the men looked out the window at the same time, seeing the drizzle engulf the now dreary forest. Kakashi snickered.

"Guess you were right."  
"About what?" Iruka asked, wiping the last of the blood off of Kakashi's leg. The wound wasn't necessarily nasty, just bled a lot.  
"About it raining. What did you call it?"  
"The mackerel sky," Iruka grinned up at the silver-haired thief, "You've never heard of it before, have you?"

Kakashi shook his head, before looking away and back at the rain. Iruka's grin grew, "You're not used to the country, are you?" Kakashi shook his head again, "Didn't think so. You have 'city-boy' written all over you. Where are you from, anyways?"

Kakashi glanced down at the man currently bandaging his leg up, curious. Would it be wise to say? Shaking his head, he realized that it didn't really matter. This man had put enough trust in him to last a century, what was telling a simple town's name?

"Grew up on the streets of Dracaena (1)," Kakashi said, voice serious and low. Iruka looked back up at him.

"All alone?"

Kakashi shook his head again, "With two other boys and an older guy watching over us."

"What...happened to them?" Iruka asked, gently.

"One of my buddies died a long time ago," Kakashi mumbled, watching Iruka wrap a clean bandage around his leg, "And I don't know where the other one is anymore. The guy who used to watch over us got caught in a gang war while visiting a different city, and died. Didn't find out about him until I was locked away behind the bars of Uchiha's Institute."

"I'm... sorry," Iruka's voice was low, sorrowful, as he tied the ends of the bandage together.

"Don't be. You didn't know him; no reason for you to be sorry," Kakashi said, before trying to direct the conversation elsewhere. He reached over to Iruka and almost fondly ruffled the sad teacher's hair, "Hey, you ever going to finish telling me about where you're from?"

Iruka gave a small smile, before pushing Kakashi's hand off of his head, "I didn't, did I? Well, too bad. It's too late now for story-time, and you just got back from pushing yourself /way/ past your limits."

"I did /not/ push myself past my limits-"  
"You did for someone who is wounded," Iruka interrupted, pushing the slightly older man down on the bed, "And I don't care if you aren't tired, at least please /try/ to get some rest."

Kakashi stared back at the fussing Iruka, slightly irritated, "You're changing the subject..."

"You're right, I am. I don't rightly care to talk about my past at the moment, if that is alright with you," Iruka gave him a glance that said it had better as hell's name be alright with him. Kakashi nodded, giving up for the time being. He knew he'd get it out of the gentle teacher sooner or later.

"Naa, Iruka?" Kakashi asked, after a few moments of just the sound of rain tapping on the roof and Iruka digging through an old chest by the door. Iruka looked up, questioningly, "Where are you going to sleep?"

Iruka's face grew warm, before he pointed over to the old wooden rocking chair resting next to the bed, "There. With these," he held up what he had found in the trunk, "And this." In his arms rested a rather old quilt and two pillows.

"You can't be serious..."

"Why can't I?" Iruka growled, mood switching again as he pushed the chair closer to the bed and wrapped the blankets snuggly around his body. His shoes had been taken off at the door, placed with care by Kakashi's own pair of severely wet shoes, "First you doubt that I'm on the run, then you doubt my saying that it was going to rain, and now you seem to doubt that I can live through sleeping in a rocking chair. What do you think living in the woods does to a person? Make them soft and weak like a cabbage moth?"

Kakashi put his hands up, trying to pacify the snapping teacher.

"No, it's just-" Kakashi started, looking from the large bed to the teacher, "This is your bed, right? It's big enough for both of us to sleep on."

Iruka eyed the silver haired thief, "That it is, but how do I know that you won't try anything perverted? You look like you could be a sneaky old lecher if you wanted to."

Kakashi put a hand dramatically over his heart, "Damn, you found me out. Seriously, though, it's your bed. I should be the one sleeping in the chair."

"I don't think so. You're wounded, and not used to the chilly drafts that blow through the valley."  
"You're wounded as well," Kakashi pointed out, nodding towards Iruka's propped up ankle, "And as used to those cold drafts as you are, where would you be if you got sick?"  
"...Probably in the same place I am now," Iruka mimicked, voice loosing it's edge, "You're a sneaky bastard, aren't you?"

Kakashi grinned under his mask, "So are you."

Iruka grinned back, standing and picking up his blanket and pillows, "To each their own."

The room was silent as both men settled in for sleep, Kakashi underneath the blankets, Iruka on top with more blankets wrapped around him.

"I was born in Murtlewood," Iruka's quiet voice cut through the peaceful night, rousing Kakashi from the slight sleep he had fallen into, "I came here to Hazelwood with Naruto after I protected someone that I," he paused, "Shouldn't have, I guess."

"Naruto?" Kakashi rolled onto his side, looking at the shadow next to him. Seemed like Story-Time was brought back to life for a surprise midnight snack.

"Yeah. We were chased out of Murtlewood, and because I was trying to protect him, they hunted us down. We met up with a group of," Iruka paused, as if looking for the right word, "Ruffians, I guess you could call them, from the local Manor. We'd been trespassing on their land, they said, and their Lord had sent them out to catch us. They carted us back to their estate where their lord wished to have a few, urm, services taken care of. And who could fill them better than a weak looking, half starved guy with long hair? I wouldn't let them touch Naruto."

"You didn't try to fight them?" Kakashi asked, watching the shadow of his bedmate. The thief realized that his bedmate had taken the hair tie out of his hair as the story continued, leaving the man's dark hair to fall gently around his shoulders and all over the pillow.

"Of course I did, but it's rather hard to do when you've been running for months and haven't eaten a decent meal for about the same amount of time. They also used Naruto as a hostage of sorts, and…" Iruka trailed off, shrugging.

"Yeah, I can understand that," Kakashi agreed, knowing the helpless feeling of having a loved one, a little brother, held captive by the rivaling side. He also knew the gnawing feeling severe hunger.

"Naruto found out about the services, and what my job was while we were in the large house. They had told him that I took care of the Lord of the Manor, like a maid almost. When he found out, he... started acting really strange, started distancing himself from everyone. I didn't ask any questions, only tried to calm him down. In the early morning light he woke me up and told me that we had to start running again. I didn't know why, until we were halfway down the stairs."

"What happened?" Kakashi asked when Iruka became silent, "Why did you have to leave?"

"Littered across the grand stairway were the bodies of the guards who had found us. The floor around them was burnt, and each body was at least a little bit roasted. I didn't ask what he had done until we were nearly here, in Hazelwood."

"So he did kill all those people?"

"All who people? The people of Banyan? Yeah, supposedly he killed the entire village off. I asked him about it once, and he had told me something about betrayal, backstabbing, chaos, and that he had to leave it. I'd heard of the massacre in Banyan before I met him, though."

"So you got away from those people, right? Are they why you're hiding out in Hazelwood? Don't you think there must be some other place, some big city or something where no one could find you? Someplace far enough away from them that you wouldn't have to worry?"

"No, there's no place that I know of that could hide a person from them, except for here, in Hazelwood. You've seen the forest, you know how tricky the trails are."

"What are these people called, the ones that are following you? They a part of an organization?"

"The ones who took us in called themselves the Red Moon clan (2)," Iruka rolled over so that he was facing Kakashi, "They're known around the countryside for being ruthless, blood thirsty bunch of warriors. The best trackers in the world, supposedly."

Kakashi nodded, "I've heard of them in Dracaena. How did you think to come to Hazelwood?"

"I remembered hearing an old friend back in Murtlewood talking about a forest so thick and feral that no person ever walked in it. The Red Moon clan is... somewhere over the northern ridge of this valley, near the thickest part of this jungle."

"Hnn, the Institute is in the North," Kakashi put in, pondering, "They couldn't be related, you don't think?"

"Probably not. Don't remember seeing any prisons. But then again, I didn't see much while we were there."

"Except for the satiny pillows and shades?"

Iruka shot Kakashi an insulted glare, "Except for those, yes." Kakashi grinned apologetically back, pulling the sheets up around him.

"So that's how we got here. Satisfied?" Iruka asked, eyeing the silver haired man.

Kakashi shook his head, "Not really, but I can live with that information for now. Don't think I won't be trying to get more out of you sooner or later, though."

Iruka smiled, "Of course not. Okay, my turn. Two questions, that alright with you?"  
Kakashi grinned back, the good nature rising in the room once more, "Go for it."

"One, how old are you, really?"  
Kakashi blinked, pulling his bandanna off again and putting it on his side of the bed, "What, no questions as to why I wear a mask?"  
Iruka shook his head slightly; "You probably wear it for your own personal reasons. Maybe I'll get those reasons someday?" Iruka smiled, "Now answer the question."

Kakashi was rather surprised (what was /with/ this teacher? Wasn't there a law against teachers being too surprising?), but mumbled out a "26 years old", before snuggling in to his pillow, "Why, how old do you think I look?"  
"Oh, I don't know. Not twenty-six at all. Always had the silver hair? Or is it dyed?"

"Is that your second question?"  
"No, just answer it."  
"It's natural. It's also kind of common in Dracaena."  
"Very strange," Iruka mumbled, reaching out to finger a few strands of the thief's hair that fell close to him on the pillow, "Okay, second question."

"Shoot."  
"Do you have any where you need to go?"  
"Anywhere I need to go? No, not particularly. Why? You asking if I want to stay here?"  
Iruka nodded, "It gets kind of lonely here, even with Naruto, who is truly loud enough for eight people. Or at least until you got completely healed..."

Kakashi shrugged, "Don't have anywhere else to go. So why not?"

Iruka nearly shimmered at the prospect of having a houseguest, "Very good. Now will you go to sleep?"

"Ah ah, you said only two questions," Kakashi grinned.  
"Just go to sleep. Good night." Iruka growled, pulling his blanket up closer to him, huddled for warmth.  
"Good night Iruka," Kakashi said, snuggling closer to the teacher. It /was/ rather chilly in the room with the window wide open.

The last thoughts before he drifted off to sleep were /Man, I'm hungry.../

n.n.n.n.n.n.n

To Be Continued :3

n.n.n.n.n.n.n

Yeah, the chapter is kind of short n.n; sorry 'bout that XD; And forgive me if you think Iruka-sensei's past is... weak. I know how it is :P I'm just not very good at writing drama/backstories a lot of the time XD;; they always sound so very cheesy to me laughs forgive xD  
The next chapter will be... a little late in arrival, since I'm headed off to college on wednesday = Never moved before ; Also, I am taking part in a friend's writing challenge, an early NaNoWriMo, you could say :3 And! I get to have surgery on my leg tomorrow (Monday) so weehoo! XDXD

Hopin' that you all liked the third chapter n.n

(1) Dracaena = another plant name XD;  
(2) Red Moon = Akatsuki. Get it Get it? XD;; dork

Next Time: 

- Hayate asks a small favor…  
"Sugar? Please? Just a cup?"

- Kakashi and Sasuke are introduced to the "baths" of Hazelwood…  
"How do you bathe with that mask on?" Iruka asked, eyeing the dark fabric.  
"It's waterproof."

- And trouble starts to brew on the horizon…

Please do review/comment/whatever :3 need writing juices XD  
-Mako


End file.
